rob bradford

Taking a moment to recognize how these Red Sox made it as far as they did

That was the sound of a whole lot of irony that could be found in a U.S. Cellular Field elevator just moments after the the Red Sox' 5-4 loss to the White Sox Tuesday night.

The doors opened and a man, wearing Yankees gear from head to toe, pushed a wheelchair onto the elevator. The passenger in said chair just so happened to be donning a Red Sox hat, T-shirt and jacket. The man never got up, and neither did his team. Both appeared prime for recovery, just not in time for the completion of this major league season.

A few minutes later, there was no need for metaphors. A golf cart could be seen whizzing by, carrying a pair of crutches on the back, along with the Red Sox' starting second baseman. This was the team's reality, and Tuesday night that reality painted its biggest picture yet.

"This is one of those years where everything seems to go in the wrong direction, and I guess everyone's got to get prepared for next year and make it happen," said Red Sox DH David Ortiz, having to go without champagne and swim goggles for just the second time in his career with the Sox.

Does it feel strange?

"It does, it does, I'm not going to lie to you," Ortiz continued. "My first year here not going to the playoffs [in 2006], it feels like you have so much time, you know, watching the game on TV. It just feels totally weird. I'm pretty sure this year's going to be the same way."

While those viewing sessions are executed, watching the likes of the Yankees and Rays truck through the playoffs, plenty of blame and analysis are going to be thrown in the direction of the Red Sox. For this one moment, however, while the post-mortem started kicking into high gear, the positives should be pulled out.

Within the misery that could be found among a clubhouse consisting of 17 players who spent at least part of this season's first month in the minor leagues, some credit should be distributed.

Before the last game his team would call itself a playoff contender, Francona could be found playfully shouting back and forth with that second baseman who would ultimately leave the stadium on a golf cart, Dustin Pedroia. The card game-induced back and forth was a brief distraction before the manager had to get his latest medical update (news from Jarrod Saltalamacchia's thumb surgery).

Six hours later there was no joy in Francona's voice. Once again he had done his best to piece together a win — nothing more, nothing less — with this night just happening to punctuate the manager's steepest uphill battle to date.

When the final pitch was thrown this time around, there were six players on the field who hadn't worn a Red Sox uniform when this ride began. And here this team was, technically still in a playoff race when the night began, with just six games remaining.

The end of the Red Sox' dream should have also offered a pretty hefty reminder — Francona managed his team perhaps better than he ever has.

"Its no fun going home before you want to regardless of what's happened," the manager said. "I think the world of the guys in that clubhouse and the effort and things like that. I want to keep playing."

THE DECISION-MAKERS

While the days ahead of us will be thick with criticism about how a $170 million team fell short of the postseason, some parts of the team's construction should be pulled out and recognized.

John Lackey did not pitch like an $18 million pitcher. J.D. Drew wasn't worth a tick above $14 million. And the bullpen never offered the kind of relief options worthy of a playoff contender.

But if it wasn't for a collection of under-the-radar moves — the kind that seemingly only fill out the minor league training complex in Fort Myers in the early days of spring training — talking postseason as the final days of September unwound wouldn't have been an option

There was the signing of Darnell McDonald, and subsequent decision not to file the "designated for assignment" papers when the Red Sox almost let him go but then needed him back due to Jacoby Ellsbury's reoccurring rib injury.

Convincing Scott Atchison that the Red Sox were the place to re-energize his career away from Japan helped keep a leaky bullpen afloat.

Holding on to Clay Buchholz, and defining his role in the 2010 starting rotation, was vital.

The love affair with the talents of Adrian Beltre proved to be justified, and then some.

And, perhaps most important, was the ability of the organization to not only develop young talent, but put the players in position to contribute once they arrived in Boston. The likes of Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Felix Doubront were part of the latest crop of newcomers that continued an impressive run of key midseason promotions by the Sox.

MIDDLE OF THE ORDER DETERMINATION

The numbers were easily identified as positives. Victor Martinez, Ortiz and Beltre all did what they could to pick up the slack without the presences of Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia.

The trio combined for 79 home runs, with OPS numbers of .843, .897 and .929, respectively. But what should truly be identified was how each of the players got to this point.

Martinez was being ridiculed at the beginning of the season for not being able to control a running game. But after hours upon hours of working with catching instructor Gary Tuck, Martinez became a legitimate threat in throwing out would-be base-stealers. Couple the defensive improvement with another above-average offensive campaign, and it was clear the 31-year-old more than pulled his weight.

In case you forgot, Ortiz hit .143 with a single home run in the season's first month. He then not only went on to bang 10 homers with a .363 batting average in May, but managed five or more long balls in each of the following four months.

Beltre, meanwhile, obviously put up MVP-caliber numbers. But it should be noted that while he talks about staying healthy throughout what has been 630 plate appearances, his health has been anything but ideal. A bad hamstring and injured wrist are just a couple of issues the third baseman has had to deal with on the way to playing 151 games.

THE TWO CY YOUNG CANDIDATES

While there was no denying that the seasons of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Lackey were extremely uneven, the Red Sox could hang their hats on perhaps the best 1-2, top-of-the-rotation punch in baseball in the form of Jon Lester and Buchholz.

Among American League pitchers, the duo finished in the top seven in batting average against, wins and ERA.

And to make the package even more complete, the Red Sox have both Lester and Buchholz under their control through the 2014 season. It is an advantage the Sox can hang their hats on heading into another stab at the postseason next season while they hope for better days from the other three-fifths of the rotation.

There will be plenty of time for slings and arrows. But this team deserves at least one moment to reflect on what was accomplished in among 157 games of chaos.

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